During the week of Aug 26 – Sept 1, 2013, our Canadian Junior National Powerlifting team will be traveling to Texas to compete at the World Junior Powerlifting Championships lead by Head Coach Avi Silverberg. Qualifying on this team is seven of our Nation’s strongest men and women under the age of twenty-three. In order for our Canadian athletes to qualify for a World Championship they need to have won their weight class at Nationals; a feat in and of itself that deserves much admiration. However, once an athlete reaches the pinnacle of success within Canada, they seek to take their skills internationally to compete against the World’s best.

Our current Team Canada athletes come from diverse backgrounds with a wide-range of experiences. Already on the team we have previous World competitors and medalists, but also a host of first-time members looking to advance their powerlifting careers. As we draw closer to the World Junior Championships, I will profile each athlete individually in order to showcase our homegrown powerlifting heroes. It is important to recognize that these junior athletes are already role models and leaders within the Canadian powerlifting community.

ROBYN PEARCE

Robyn Pearce started powerlifting in 2012, and has since then competed in six events, including two National Championships. This year will mark Pearce’s debut on the World stage where she is competing against 10 other athletes in the 57k class. Pearce has expressed that she feels very privileged to be part of Team Canada and believes that the experience of competing at the World Championships will ultimately better her as an athlete in the years to come. Pearce is not concerned with how the competition performs, but rather is focused on achieving personal best numbers on each of her individual lifts.

Pearce’s best lifts are: 117.5k/259lb squat, 60k/132lb bench, and 115k/253lb deadlift. Pearce trains in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan alongside some of the best Open lifters in the country, including Rhaea Stinn who is an 18-time National Champion and 8-time World Team athlete. With a support system of that caliber there is no escaping success. Pearce has had some massive training numbers in the past couple months and is planning to put together a full package in Texas.

Outside of powerlifting, Pearce attends the University of Saskatchewan where she is enrolled in her 4th year as a Physiology and Pharmacology major. Pearce is planning to enter Rehabilitation Medicine or Physiotherapy after she is done her degree. Other than studies, she spends a lot of time “bumming around” at Buffalo Pound Lake in Sun Valley just outside of Moose Jaw. Check out some of Pearce’s training footage below as she prepares the for World Championships.